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Have you ever had your posture analyzed? I have, several times over the years. Two or three of those times I was taking a class, learning how to do it for others. It never did much for me though.

Okay, there should be a straight line running from the ear to the shoulder to the middle of the pelvis, to the side of the knee and anklebone. Seems reasonable. So here's this group of eager-to-learn, able-bodied movement teachers standing around looking at each other, noting and measuring each other's deviations, nodding wisely. Oh yes, her left hip is higher than her right, and her left shoulder is higher than her right. Mm hmm.

I learned that my knees were forward of my ankle bones and so were my hips. I learned that the front of my thighs were tense, and so were my buttocks. Mm hmm.

SO WHAT??

No one ever satisfactorily explained why that actually mattered. Or if it matters what am I supposed to do about it? And if I discern issues like these in the people I am teaching Pilates to, what am I supposed to do with this information besides tell them what's wrong with them and make them feel bad?

I just kept hoping that someday I would accumulate enough experience that it would all come together and be meaningful for me; but everywhere I looked for more information about what alignment is and what it means to how our bodies function, all I found was unsatisfyingly vague - and even hilariously contradictory!

Enter Katy Bowman and Whole Body Alignment: she explains why "Alignment Matters" with a grand sweeping beautiful overview, and describes a tremendously detailed protocol of what we can do to make it better, along why we would want to.

NOT VAGUE: there are 25 bony markers we all have on our bodies (assuming we have the standard human body), and all we have to do is see if we're able to stand comfortably and line up all these bony markers simultaneously, without straining.

From the side: outside ankle bones lined up with the middle of the knee and the middle of the pelvis, weight in the heels. Check. . . (Ack! I'm falling over backwards!)

Pubic bone lined up with the front hip bones aka the ASIS's. (Ok, um, am I really supposed to be sticking my butt out like that? ... Oh no, now it's making my low back hurt, are you crazy?)

Rib cage dropped down and back so that the bottom rib in front lines up with the ASIS and the pubic bone. (Ohh, now my back feels much better. But wait a minute, my chest is all sunk in and my shoulders are all forward, I look like a hunchback!)

Shoulder blades W-I-I-IDE, back of the neck L-O-O-ONG, ear over shoulder and chin dropped! There, now you're perfect!

What? You can only do one of these things or two of these things or none of these things? How'd you get that way? What are all these anomalies and weird contortions about? What? Does? It? Matter?

MORE LATER...

Oh sweetie, you just lived in this world, the way we have it set up.They put casts on our feet since we were babies, diapers that made our legs splay out as our hips were forming, stuck us in chairs and made us sit still. They didn't know any better, and we didn't know any better.